Jammu: The J&K Congress has distanced itself from National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s remarks that Pakistan is helping Kashmiris by keeping the Kashmir issue alive at international fora, even as some Kashmiri Pandit groups lodged a police complaint seeking an FIR against the ex-chief minister for his comments.
“The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has distanced itself from the statement of NC president Farooq Abdullah and asserted that Pakistan has no right to talk about or interfere in our internal affairs as J&K is an integral part of India,” J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said in a post on X.
However, speaking to reporters, Sharma said Abdullah’s remarks appeared to express the frustration over the Centre’s failure to fulfill its promise to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Pakistan has consistently waged a proxy war against India and caused the deaths of innocent people in J&K by sponsoring terrorism. Pakistan’s role in promoting terrorism must be condemned, and strict action should continue against it,” Sharma said, stressing that the Congress is firmly opposed to any interference by Pakistan in India’s internal affairs.
Referring to the National Conference (NC) chief’s remarks, Sharma said Abdullah should clarify the exact intent behind the statement, reiterating that opposition to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the demand for restoration of statehood were separate but equally important issues.
Addressing a party event in Baramulla on Saturday, Abdullah said, “What hope will you (people of J&K) have from them (Delhi)? Will you expect that they will do justice for you?”
Urging Kashmiris to have courage so that they can confront Delhi, he said, “If not, you will be erased. Even our trace and identity will disappear. They are silent today because there is noise in the world, and our neighbour is constantly behind this. Everywhere they say, ‘the decision regarding Kashmir has not been made’. That is what is saving us. Otherwise, their intentions are not good.”
Sharma said Abdullah’s remarks appeared to be directed at the alleged discrimination against minorities across the country and the policies pursued by BJP governments in various states.
“The remarks reflected resentment against a pattern of oppression and discrimination,” the Congress leader said.
He also said that J&K continues to face resentment over the non-restoration of statehood despite repeated assurances by the Centre before the Supreme Court, Parliament and the public.
Kashmiri Pandit groups Panun Kashmir and the Jammu State People’s Movement (JSPM) have lodged a complaint at the Channi police station in Jammu, seeking the registration of an FIR against Abdullah.
The complaint submitted by Panun Kashmir chairman Tito Ganju and JKPM chairman Col Ajay Raina (retd) sought a police investigation into the statements attributed to Abdullah, the constitutional status of J&K, and alleged religious polarisation.
The complaint also cited Abdulla’s reported remarks questioning the prospects of justice from the Union government and warning that the people of J&K risked losing their identity if they failed to confront the prevailing political circumstances.
The complainants drew attention to remarks attributed to Abdullah on the demolition of mosques, homes and shops, as well as his assertion that Hindus and Muslims were being pitted against each other.
They urged the police to examine the statements in their entirety, taking into account the context, the audience addressed and the potential implications of the speeches.
The complaint sought an FIR under sections 152, 196 and 197 of the BNS, besides any other offences that may be disclosed during the course of investigation.
The provisions invoked concern acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, promoting enmity between groups, and certain imputations or assertions prejudicial to national integration, a spokesperson for Panun Kashmir said.
BJP leader Jahanzaib Sirwal also criticised Abdullah, accusing him of perpetuating a politics of double standards by invoking Pakistan to question India’s intentions while overlooking the grave realities and sufferings of people across the Line of Control.
“It was deeply unfortunate that a leader who has dominated J&K’s political landscape for decades continues to rely on the Pakistan narrative rather than account for the consequences of his own politics.
“Farooq Sahib has spent decades building a political narrative around Pakistan, but has he ever honestly answered what this politics has delivered to the people of J&K?
“His party does not have to seek votes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, but that cannot be an excuse to remain silent on the atrocities and sufferings of the people living there. Human rights cannot be selective, and political morality cannot change with electoral convenience,” Sirwal said.
The NC leadership must stop treating Pakistan as a convenient political instrument to invoke whenever it suits its narrative, he added.
